Be In Downtown Port Coquitlam July 14 for PoCo Grand Prix

Sports fans, families and festival-lovers will want to be in downtown Port Coquitlam on Friday, July 14 for the second annual PoCo Grand Prix, presented by Dominion Lending Centres.

In less than a month, thousands of people will converge on downtown Port Coquitlam for a day of professional cycling, live entertainment and free family activities. As part of BC Superweek – Canada’s largest professional road cycling series – the PoCo Grand Prix will be one of six events taking place throughout Metro Vancouver from July 7 to 16.

The criterium-style race will feature a mass start on a 1.3-kilometre circuit that cyclists will navigate for 40-65 laps. Approximately 200 male and female professional cyclists will whiz by about every minute, making for an exhilarating spectator experience.

“The excitement is building as we’re getting closer to this world-class event taking place in the heart of Port Coquitlam,” Mayor Greg Moore said. “You don’t want to miss out on this event. It was such an incredible experience for everyone who was there last year.”
The schedule includes:

  • 1:30-3 p.m. – Amateur cycling races.
  • 3:15-5 p.m. – Corporate Challenge races (sponsored by CAP`s Westwood Cycle)
  • 3:30-7:30 p.m. – Norco Bicycles Kids’ Zone
  • 5:15-5:45 p.m. – Norco Bicycles Kids’ Race
  • 6-6:30 p.m. – BC Superweek Youth Race
  • 6:45-9:20 p.m – Pro races and awards

There will also be live entertainment from 3:15-10:15 p.m. in Leigh Square sponsored by The Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre and a beer garden from 3-10 p.m.

“We hope to see even more residents joining in this year by volunteering, participating in the public races and experiencing the amazing energy that was in our downtown last year,” said Cllr. Laura Dupont, chair of the city’s Healthy Community Committee.

Excitement will also be generated by “primes” – intermediate sprints that take place during a pause in a race and offer the cyclists either extra points or a cash prize. Primes (pronounced preems) are sponsored by businesses or by crowd fundraising.

“After an exciting first year event the athletes are looking forward to once again attending the PoCo Grand Prix presented by Dominion Lending Centers because they really liked the flow of the course and great family/spectator attendance”, said BC Superweek Race Director Mark Ernsting.

The track will also be used by the Norco Bicycles Kids’ Race for children ages 5-12 (free to sign up at www.pocograndprix.ca), a youth race, and the CAP`s Westwood Cycle Corporate Challenge for business teams.

Volunteers will play a key role in the event. Over 200 volunteers are needed to help with a variety of tasks, and more roles are still available for those ages 16 and up. For information, visit www.pocograndprix.ca/volunteer.

Please note: Schedules may change – check www.pocograndprix.ca closer to race day.

Race schedule:

  • 1:30 p.m.: Women’s category 3-4 Pro race
  • 2:15 p.m.: Men’s category 3-4 Pro Race
  • 3:15 p.m.: Corporate Challenge sponsored by CAP`s Westwood Cycle
  • 5:15 p.m.: Kids’ Race sponsored by Norco Bicycles
  • 6:00 p.m.: BC Superweek Youth Race
  • 6:45 p.m.: Feature Pro Races – women’s category 1-2
  • 7:50 p.m.: Men’s category 1-2
  • 9:00 p.m.: Women`s and Men`s Awards

Giggle Dam Entertainment Stage: 3:15 – 10:15 pm

  • 3:15-4 p.m.: The Giggle Dam Band – Unplugged & Unhinged Acoustic
  • 4:15-5 p.m.: Steve Sainas – Acoustic Artist & Juno Award Winner
  • 5:15-6 p.m.: Macky C and the Mountain Men – (Terry Fox Sec, School rock band)
  • 6:45-7:45 p.m.: The Giggle Dam – ‘Legends Live’ – Impersonation Show
  • 8-9 p.m.: The Millennials – Current Rock/Pop Cover Band
  • 9:15-10:15 p.m.: The Giggle Dam Band – Current and Classic Rock Cover Band

Other Activities

  • VIP Experience from 3-9:00 p.m. (sponsors, corporate challenge participants – by invitation only), sponsored by Samz Neighbourhood Pub (food and beverage) and Phoenix Truck and Crane (lounge).
  • PoCo Grand Prix Expo tradeshow from 3-8:00 p.m. sponsored by Downtown Business improvement Association.

Parking and Road Closures:
Parking and vehicle access will be limited on several streets in downtown Port Coquitlam on July 14 starting at 10 a.m. with full closure in effect until 1p.m. until 11 p.m. Streets include Shaughnessy, Elgin, McAllister, Donald, Wilson and Mary Hill.

Event-goers are encouraged to take transit, walk or cycle to the venue. There will be a free bike valet, sponsored by Cap’s Westwood Cycle.
Detailed parking and road closure information is posted at www.pocograndprix.ca.

Sponsorship, volunteering and other event information is available at www.pocograndprix.ca.

Sponsors:
PoCo Grand Prix sponsors
Presenting Sponsor: Dominion Lending Centres
Dominion Lending Centres Group is Canada’s #1 national mortgage company with more than 5,000 Mortgage Professionals spanning the country. Launched in January 2006, the DLC group quickly grew to fund more than $36 billion in mortgage volume in 2016 – the largest origination volume of any Canadian brokerage. DLC continues to be recognized by PROFIT Magazine as one of Canada’s fastest growing companies.

Gold: CAP`s Westwood Cycle, Norco Bicycles (Kids’ Race and Zone), Phoenix Truck and Crane (VIP lounge), The Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre (Entertainment) and Samz Neighourhood Pub (VIP food and beverage).

Silver: De Dutch Pannekoek House, MolsonCoors Canada, Kettle Valley Winery, Arctic Meat and Sausage, Save-On-Foods Prairie Ave location), TELUS, Tri-City News (media sponsor) and the Polessy Foundation.

Event level: Still Creek Press, Painted Frog Entertainment, Kintec Foot Labs, Port Coquitlam Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic, Metro Ford, Port Coquitlam Business Improvement Association, Coast Capital Savings, Ventana Construction Corp., B.C. Textile Innovations and Champion System.

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PHOTOS:
High-resolution photos of the announcement and past BC Superweek events can be requested at info@pocograndprix.ca.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Pardeep Purewal
Manager of Communications & Admin Services
City of Port Coquitlam
Tel 604.927.5335 Cel 604.218.0533
Email purewalp@portcoquitlam.ca

Brian Wiebe
Media Relations Manager
BC Superweek
Tel 604.916.8448
Email brian.wiebe@bcsuperweek.ca